Incumbent Republican Grace Cangemi, left, and running mate John Tyler Jr., right square off against Ed Zipprich and Juanita Lewis, center, at next week’s candidates’ forum. (Click to enlarge)
Big night for the politically tuned-in next Wednesday — particularly those with a hankering for baked sweets.
Most prominently, there’s the third and final presidential debate between senators John McCain and Barack Obama on television at 9p.
That’ll be preceded, locally, by the 12th annual candidates’ night in Red Bank, where four candidates for two council seats will square off starting at 7p.
But while some voters may be wondering how they can squeeze both into their schedules, just as tempting to many, no doubt, will be the “National Presidential Community Dessert Fellowship & Debate Watch Night” at the Pilgrim Baptist Church.
That’s a cramped way of saying the church will be showing the presidential debate on a large-screen television, but first will throw down with desserts brought in by attendees. That event is open to the public, non-partisan, and begins at 7:30p.
As for the council race, we’ve got a situation in which two seats, both held by Republicans, are at stake. Democrats control the governing body 4 to 2, and of course the mayor, Pasquale Menna, is a Democrat.
Republican Grace Cangemi is the sole incumbent on this year’s ballot, having first been appointed to fill out a year of an unexpired term and then elected last November to complete the balance of the term to which Kaye Ernst was elected in 2005.
Cangemi’s running mate is John Tyler Jr., who ran for council last year and came up short.
On the Democratic ticket are Ed Zipprich, who lost to Cangemi last year by about 59 votes, and Juanita Lewis, a board of ed member making her first try for council
The debate, organized as it has been in the past by the West Side Community Group, follows a town hall format. Candidates will be invited to make opening and closing remarks. In between, moderator Amy Goldsmith will select residents on the fly to ask questions of all four officeseekers.
The event is held in the community room of the River Street Commons, on Catherine Street between Bridge and Shrewsbury Avenues. It begins at 7p.
Goldsmith says she hopes to “keep tight with he time” and have the event wrap up by 8:30p.
Attendees who drive are asked to park only in visitors’ spaces or on the street; all other spaces in the center’s parking lot are designated for residents of the senior citizens’ housing complex. Violators will be ticketed and towed, says Goldsmith.
Pilgrim Baptist is just a block north of the debate venue on Shrewsbury Avenue, and has ample parking. Attendees are encouraged to bring a dessert. For more info, call 732.747.2343.
redbankgreen plans to run Q&As with each of the candidates early next week.
Grace and I are working hard at putting together a plan for Red Bank that will help with tax situation and other issues. We will be glad to bring it to the table on candidate night!
Also if you have any questions you would like to ask us feel free to do so.
We are for the people of Red Bank, the young and the old, the poor and not so poor.
With your help by voting Grace and I onto those council seats we can make a difference in Red Bank. We need your support!
Thank You;
John S. Tyler Jr
Ok, Mr. Tyler I have a couple of questions for you and I hope you don't shy away.
A couple of weeks ago you posted on this site that you would like to see a POLICE substation on the west side of town.
1) How do u plan to pay for that new structure without costing the taxpayer one penny?
2) How do you plan to make up the taxes on that new non-ratable?
3) Isn't the police station already on the westside of town? Okay its in the middle, but what good does a substation do when, they are out on patrol anyway?
I personally don't think we need one (sub station), just better community policing by concerned citizens. The police do a very good job on the Westside as it is, but are undermanned. If the residents take a more pro active role on streets such as Bank, Leighton. River, Catherine, Locust we would see less activity by the criminal element, so I think that we need to start at home first and then with our neighbors (that's how the latest burglaries were prevented), we need to see good fun playing by our children without fear The primary playground is a good spot for Kids and parents to hang out and enjoy each others company. So lets begin together. I don't think John really wants a sub station on the Westside or any other side, he's just frustrated with events on Leighton Ave.
I hope that Grace gets re elected, she has done a good job, and as for John, if blind faith and concern for his fellow residents count, then he gets elected in a landside. But then I wonder why though Jaunita is running against Grace (?), what exactly is it that you and/or Ed offer that she hasn't already done, or feel that you can do better? Is it that you want all decisions made by the council to be passed 5-0, that its a lock, a 'gimmie' every time something is voted upon? On my Nieces gravestone it reads 'that you cant have peace without conflict' I feel the same way about the council, it should be argued upon it should be debated, and not the silly bag law, but things like the increase in the water tax rate that we endured because the CFO or someone in his office got the bills out late for a shortfall of $300,000…These are things that today the people of Red Bank care about. Curley and Grace argued that we shouldn't have to pay for the boroughs mistake, is that increase ever going to come down now that the money is in? I think we know that Grace will vote to bring it down, so would have John, and I hope that John T. would also. Having a total democratic council just doesn't seem right. Who's watching the chickens?
So Jaunita, what could you do, or you Ed, that's different than what Grace has done, how can you make my life better by loading up the council like this…You can perhaps fulfill one mans legacy, that's about it. Ed, I've read your Bio, I'm very, very good in purchasing, I have never worked for a Gay organization, and I respect very much the stonewall, but again I'm left wondering other than that,what are you bringing to the table that is better than Graces work other than to 'be all democrats'.
Please answer, there is no malice in any of this, just would like to know………
To Concerned,
Thank you for those questions.
As for the sub station, if we can get a state/federal grant, then why not have one.
Gary is right. There has been increased criminal activities for past year. You drive by Leighton Ave, Bank Street, Shrewsbury Ave you see drug dealing, prostitution.
With the sub station, police will be able to respond quickly.
My idea was that Red Bank can purchase a vacant house with the grant money. This is possible if the community come together and pushed this issue.
Yes, it's going to take time and money(grant)but with proper planning we could do this.
John S. Tyler (Jr)
You may not even need to purchase a vacant home, Mr. Tyler. In Belmar, the police substations are those trailers that serve as temporary offices at construction sites. Plop down one of those temporary offices (a trailer) at West Bergen & Shrewsbury Avenue. Put a Port-A-Potty next to it and then maybe, just maybe, the Red Bank Police will finally do something about the prositution and drug problem that we have on the west side of town.
By the way, good luck with the campaign.
Mr Tyler,
I totally agree with you. For those who live in the East side, this drug problem is creeping into your neighborhood too. Past summer I had to call the cops on several occasion. Kids selling drug in the East Side Park (Harrison Ave). My neighbors also witnessed some teenagers smoking pot on the playground.
May be we need some outside help.
Good Luck Mr.Tyler
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm pie.
I hope who ever gets on will make sure we can get wheel chairs past BONO SERA i cant beleave what the town lets go on there. You have 1 foot of sidewalk there. WAKE UP stop taking free food RED BANK COUNCILMAN.Anyone that reads this go look at bona sera sidewalk and look how the town let them put there canopy post on sidewalk what a joke .
wheel chair person you need to contact american's with disability i have talked about this situation only to have it fall on deaf ears.
wheel chair person you need to contact american's with disability i have talked about this situation only to have it fall on deaf ears.
Thanks for youe response Mr. Tyler, but in true politicition form you failed to answer question #2. So I'll ask again. How will you compensate for yet another nonratable in the town? Just so you know grant money always comes from the taypayer, in some form. My question was how to build it with out using ANY taxpayer money on any level! Also don't you think a police walking post on these streets would be more efficent then another building that has to be built and maintained with taypayer money.
Concerned; I don't know if you are serious or a wise guy, but you are being far more the "politicition" than Mr. Tyler by asking an unanswerable question. You ask him how to build a PUBLIC police building "with out (sic) using ANY taxpayer money . . .". The obvious answer: the same way you get orange juice without squeezing any oranges.
I agree wit concerned. Mr. Tyler stated he has a plan for the tax situation. Then continues with lets open a police sub station. This will cost us more money in the end no matter how you spin it. The sub station will not offer anything our exsisting police can't offer. It also would be one more step toward divideing the town into two. I am not saying this is the goal Mr.Tyler is trying to achieve, but part of the end result.
with the amount of forcloser proerties looming on the horizon in town, and the bust of the economy which may affect the downtown area I think that your question #2 may become a non issue concerned. I think that by your slant on John Tylers with all these (same), questions, perhaps you would care to answer for Juanita or Edward, at least he responded.
Concerned, your question concerns me.
You question a politician on non-ratable taxes. These come from the Federal government. Churches and Hospitals don't pay taxes.
That is probably why Mr.Tyler is not answering your stupid question.
Richard,
I dont think my question was stupid. I think it was fair to ask. If he had a plan then that plan should be well thought out. All the possibilites should be taken into consideration and all cost looked at. I also don't think the town would tax themselves, so that is whay it would be another nonratable.
Gary,
I know you are looking for me to be this big democrat, but to your dismay I am not. I actually like Mr. Tylers stance on most issues and also know he posts here all of the time. Wich is why the questions were asked here and not of the democrats. If they posted here and were a part of what Mr. Tyler supported then by all means the questions would apply to them. I am unaware as to there stance on the subject. So please lay off me with the slanted question, it was directed to the one that brought them up, period the end.
Padrone,
I am not a wise guy at all, however ALL TAXES need to be trimmed and just passing the buck to the state or the feds is not helping my taxes at all on those levels.
Gary and Padrone, no comments on the last post?! I was sure you were give this guy the wrath.
No comment from gary on the fire expo either.
Wrath?! No. Concerned is right in his basic statement re taxes. I am always amused when politicians claim they are saving taxpayers money by taking state or federal help. Concerned is right. There aren't "other" taxpayers who provide state money. It's all us same working schmoes who foot all the bills.
I only objected to him seeming to put Tyler down, saying he was being a typical politician when the questioned asked was equally political in that it had no reasonable answer.